AT&T announced on Tuesday the upcoming release of the Motorola Atrix 2 smartphone and four other new Android devices, bringing the wireless carrier's total Android lineup for the year to 19, seven more than originally planned.

The second-largest wireless operator in the U.S. issued a statement early Tuesday broadcasting the upcoming availability of five new Android phones: Motorola Atrix 2, Samsung DoubleTime, Samsung Captivate Glide, Pantech Pocket and the AT&T Avail.

"Committed to serving the growing number of Android fans, AT&T now provides more options for customers seeking the Android OS experience at a variety of price points, form factors and through unique services," the company said.

The Atrix 2, the flagship device of the bunch, is Motorola's followup to the Atrix 4G released earlier this year. Though the original Atrix garnered significant pre-release interest for its impressive technical specifications and unique accessories, including a laptop dock and media station, sales failed to live up to early expectations.

The second-generation handset "combines "extreme power" with "life of the party" all at an affordable price,"" AT&T wrote in its press release. The phone sports a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 4G HSPA+ connectivity, and a 4.3-inch display. Like Apple's recently-announced iPhone 4S, the Atrix 2 has an 8-megapixel camera and can record video in 1080p HD.

Motorola's new smartphone will compete with Apple's iPhone 4S when it goes on sale on Oct. 16, just two days after the launch of the new iPhone. With an aggressive $99 price tag, the Atrix 2 undercuts the iPhone 4S, which starts at $199.

The other four upcoming devices round out AT&T's Android offerings to a total of 19 in 2011, with more planned to come. Prior to the most recent batch of Android phones, AT&T had launched 12 Android smartphones and two new Android tablets this year.

The Samsung Captivate Glide is the other "premium smartphone" of the bunch, featuring a side-slide QWERTY keyboard and a 1GHz. The device boasts a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 8-megapixel flash camera and 1080p video recording. Samsung's DoubleTime sports a full flip keyboard, the older Android 2.2 operating system and a white and pink color scheme. Meanwhile, the Pantech Pocket is billed as the ideal device for "customers focused on social entertainment and messaging. Finally, the AT&T-branded Avail, produced by ZTE, is a device built for AT&T's GoPhone pre-paid business.

Though AT&T was Apple's original carrier partner for the iPhone in 2007, the carrier made moves to reduce its reliance on Apple ahead of the loss of its exclusive on U.S. iPhone sales in February of this year.

AT&T announced late last week that it had received 200,000 preorders for the iPhone 4S in the first 12 hours of availability. Apple offered up a second figure early Monday when it revealed that it had received a total of one million preorders for the iPhone 4S in the first 24 hours. Preorders for the device are backed up, with current shipping estimates of 1-2 weeks on Apple's website.

With the iPhone 4S launching this week, Android competitors are preparing their responses. Google and Samsung had sent out invitations for an event next week, presumably to launch the next-generation Nexus Prime smartphone running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich," but the event has been rescheduled, reportedly out of respect for the passing of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Android handset makers are expected to finalize their fall lineups within weeks in order to challenge the iPhone during the holiday season.

Wonder if the Atrix 2 is compatible with the original's docking station. Friend of mine got one for 99 bucks in that short lived Walmart fire sale, and said it's kind of useful in a severely limited fashion.

Wonder if the Atrix 2 is compatible with the original's docking station. Friend of mine got one for 99 bucks in that short lived Walmart fire sale, and said it's kind of useful in a severely limited fashion.

it should be but considering how disjointed the android OEMs can be I wouldn't be shocked if it isn't.

There are things I absolutely adore and things I absolutely despise about the Android community.

Also you and a lot of the Apple fans here tend to think everyone is absolutely retarded.

First they are going to think the tab is an iPad. Then that the galaxy is an iPhone. And now they are going to get brain aneurysms over choices.

Sheesh. Live and let live.

Thats just it. Each one mentions has a different OS that it runs. Some I are running 2.3, at least one is running 2.2, one is suppose to be coming with 4.0. The tablets have 3.1 or is it 3.0. And you most of these are stuck where they are. Tomorrow my 2 year old 3Gs will be running iOS 5. The only feature I care about that I'll miss is Siri, because of the hardware.

I think I'll still to what makes sense!! I like that my phone wasn't made obsolete 6 weeks after I bought it even though I got it on day one.

Thats just it. Each one mentions has a different OS that it runs. Some I are running 2.3, at least one is running 2.2, one is suppose to be coming with 4.0. The tablets have 3.1 or is it 3.0. And you most of these are stuck where they are. Tomorrow my 2 year old 3Gs will be running iOS 5. The only feature I care about that I'll miss is Siri, because of the hardware.

I think I'll still to what makes sense!! I like that my phone wasn't made obsolete 6 weeks after I bought it even though I got it on day one.

most are running 2.3, some are running 2.2, and the very very old cheap poorly made ones may be running 2.0 or even some variation of Android 1.0...no new device is under 2.3 and I think Google are working on the fragmentation issue, but it is an issue for the tech conscious, not so much for the end user.

4.0 will be on one phone @ launch, maybe more soon after...and hopefully 4.0 will be the beginning of more unified OS updates.

None of that is Google's fault though. That's the price of licensing an OS for free* to any tom dick and harry.

When you control both hardware and software you get to dictate everything, when you only control software, all you can do is hope others update the hardware on time.

Is there even a difference between them? Android has become the new windows.

Not a complement.

yes...and no it hasn't.

but even if it did, what's wrong with that?

It's about options mon ami. I have that. You really don't.

Luckily for you Apple makes amazing hardware and iOS is really the most consistent mobile OS (maybe WP7 too but who cares?) but if you want keyboards, large screens, smaller screens, flip, bb style, slider, etc etc etc you're out of luck.

Thats just it. Each one mentions has a different OS that it runs. Some I are running 2.3, at least one is running 2.2, one is suppose to be coming with 4.0. The tablets have 3.1 or is it 3.0. And you most of these are stuck where they are. Tomorrow my 2 year old 3Gs will be running iOS 5. The only feature I care about that I'll miss is Siri, because of the hardware.

I think I'll still to what makes sense!! I like that my phone wasn't made obsolete 6 weeks after I bought it even though I got it on day one.

AFAIK, the majority of people who buy electronics and computers don't care so much about the OS that runs on other devices. We've seen stats about Windows XP still having a huge installed base. We've seen stats about older versions of iOS still having a huge installed base. And we've heard about the el-cheapo Android hardware that runs a not-the-newest version of Android.

Sadly due to my provider I have a droid, so I get about a 1 in 10 chance my apps will not work and feel ripped off when two weeks later the "greatest droid ever" that is only slightly better if at all than the last "greatest dried ever". It just feels like you are always put of date. The phones are in now way bad, they just have a very frustrating community to work inhere you feel your money is being tossed away.

On the flip side I have my iPad 2, I will have it till the iPad 4(unless I have the money for the 3 and it's a huge upgrade to the 2). I have only come across a few total fail apps, but they all usually work. I know I have an excellent piece of tech in my hands that won't get surpassed in a week or a month and even if the competition releases something that is superficially better.

I say androids can have the hastle, I will be glad to pay more for stability, quality and reliability.

Notice how Appleinsider makes us scroll through a ton of ads before getting to the articles?

I just go straight to the Comments page for every article, since it reprints the article in full minus the graphics and the ads. I read AI at work, and I don't want the big, splashy images on my monitor that AI likes to put in their stories.

Also you and a lot of the Apple fans here tend to think everyone is absolutely retarded.

First they are going to think the tab is an iPad. Then that the galaxy is an iPhone. And now they are going to get brain aneurysms over choices.

Sometimes choices are a good thing and sometimes they're a bad thing. Usually, brands try to fill in all price points to eliminate customer objections over price (the second rule of selling is to overcome customer objections.) For example, if you look at the Apple computer lineup, you'll see a fairly evenly distributed range of price points from bottom to top.

If the choices aren't clearly defined, it causes consumer confusion. And when consumers are confused, they defer purchasing decisions. Before Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Apple had exactly that problem. They had an enormous number of redundant models split across multiple product lines (Centris, Quadra, Mac, etc). It was very hard to compare the models to understand the benefits of each. When Jobs returned, he simplified the product line (I think to three lines at the time) and this was the start of Apple's resurgence.

Personally, I'm glad Android is out there as a competitor. It will push Apple to continue aggressive development of the iPhone line and to further enhance performance and the feature set as well as keeping a lid on selling price. Having competition pushes the bar higher.

Personally, I think it's a good thing that AT&T is investing more in Android. If Apple is too closely partnered with AT&T, then they have to look out for AT&T's best interests when developing features. If the iPhone is just one of many phones that AT&T sells, then Apple has more freedom to innovate in ways that AT&T might not like.

I'm glad that Android is the number one smartphone OS; it keeps Apple hungry to be number 2, and causes them to innovate a lot more.

Personally, I think it's a good thing that AT&T is investing more in Android. If Apple is too closely partnered with AT&T, then they have to look out for AT&T's best interests when developing features. If the iPhone is just one of many phones that AT&T sells, then Apple has more freedom to innovate in ways that AT&T might not like.

I'm glad that Android is the number one smartphone OS; it keeps Apple hungry to be number 2, and causes them to innovate a lot more.

No.

Apple does not have to look out for AT&T even if that is there only phone. Apple cannot be made to do so. That is not their job. AT&T will have to look out for AT&T no matter what phones they sell.

Next, I think you will find that as far as Apple us concerned they are number 1. Apple doesn't keep score by counting dumb phones, or number of handsets. They keep score on things like customer satisfaction, retetion, profit, UI ease of use, etc.

It would be nice if that kept android hungry at number two, but google has no desire to compete in these areas, which is why android sucks so bad.

OSX, because making UNIX user friendly is easier than debugging windows.

Sometimes choices are a good thing and sometimes they're a bad thing. Usually, brands try to fill in all price points to eliminate customer objections over price (the second rule of selling is to overcome customer objections.) For example, if you look at the Apple computer lineup, you'll see a fairly evenly distributed range of price points from bottom to top.

If the choices aren't clearly defined, it causes consumer confusion. And when consumers are confused, they defer purchasing decisions. Before Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Apple had exactly that problem. They had an enormous number of redundant models split across multiple product lines (Centris, Quadra, Mac, etc). It was very hard to compare the models to understand the benefits of each. When Jobs returned, he simplified the product line (I think to three lines at the time) and this was the start of Apple's resurgence.

Personally, I'm glad Android is out there as a competitor. It will push Apple to continue aggressive development of the iPhone line and to further enhance performance and the feature set as well as keeping a lid on selling price. Having competition pushes the bar higher.

I just go straight to the Comments page for every article, since it reprints the article in full minus the graphics and the ads. I read AI at work, and I don't want the big, splashy images on my monitor that AI likes to put in their stories.

I prefer Feeddler on iPad pulling feeds from Google Reader, since it has built-in Instapaper integration for reading full text + graphics without all the crap.

I still can't understand how these companies can produce what seems to be at least 5 new phones each week. How can companies possibly focus??? Do we really need so many different kinds of phones?

I think the same thing, and I hope they get some sort of hint eventually...a lot of these phones are simply reworked for different carriers too...because they wish to differentiate for some reason. I think it's retarded though.

One or even 2 models in every range, once or twice a year would suffice.

2 super low end
2 low end
2 medium
2 high end
2 super high end

10 phones a year...

at the same time this diminishes choice greatly, but it'd probably cut down on the phones that manage past QC with super errors...(my G2X pre-rooted was atrocious)

I just go straight to the Comments page for every article, since it reprints the article in full minus the graphics and the ads. I read AI at work, and I don't want the big, splashy images on my monitor that AI likes to put in their stories.

But you do click on the ads every once in a while so that AI gets "paid" for its hard work, right?